Ford’s Mark Rushbrook said he would prefer Max Verstappen to race in Ford machinery rather than the Red Bull-branded Mercedes-AMG GT3 the Red Bull driver is set to use at the Nurburgring 24 Hours this weekend. Rushbrook said: "We prefer our Ford drivers to stay in Ford. We understand why he did that [the Mercedes deal]. That's the right program for him right now, but obviously we'd love to [have] him in a Ford in the sportscar world."





Aston Martin team principal Mike Krack says he will not be drawn on when the team will bring performance upgrades to the AMR26, with the team focused on improving reliability and extracting more from its current package. Krack said: "I think we have obviously seen over the last weeks and months... the way... we have made steps on the reliability and on the reduction of the vibration, on the improvement of the drivability. I think we have already seen quite substantial upgrades so far. So I will not get drawn into next race, the race after, or whatever is going to come... but... we also must acknowledge that it is a big gap to close."
McLaren CEO Zak Brown says the team have thought about producing their own version of the radical ‘Macarena’ wing after Ferrari and Red Bull ran similar designs. Brown said: "We have [thought about it]. As you can imagine, all the teams look at what each other do. It's clever and we think it could be beneficial, so not surprised to see another team using it."



Lando Norris says F1 drivers are often "blindsided" to the business and cost factors behind rules and regulations, as he backed Lewis Hamilton’s suggestion that drivers should have a greater say after regulation changes were approved for Miami without them being involved. Norris said: "Sometimes I think we have to accept, as drivers, we're very blindsided to the externals from a business side of things, how teams work, how all of that is organised. We have to accept that we're maybe not always completely correct, but I think the majority of things that we think of as drivers and what we want for the sport is a win-win. It's just how some of those things are done and not always able to be easily implemented."


Toto Wolff says Mercedes must "contain" the hype around 19-year-old Andrea Kimi Antonelli and limit the demands on his time after the Italian’s strong start to the 2026 Formula 1 season. Wolff said: "The bigger problem is the Italian public. Now that they are not qualified for the football [World Cup], it's all about [Jannik] Sinner and Antonelli. After Sinner won in Madrid, it's the two that are superstars, and that's something that we need to contain. There are so many requests for his time from the media, from sponsors, and it's on us to keep the handbrake on that. That is the risk, that he is being carried away too quickly."

McLaren team principal Andrea Stella says the reigning Constructors' champions “definitely” want to defend their title, but warned it is too early to focus on championships with the 2026 season only four races old. Stella said: "If we now start to consider championships at the end of the season, then I think we need to be a bit careful because we are just at the fourth race... We have said already before Miami that the championship is not a sign-off, so our logic is to look at the long term, try and defend the championship... but definitely we want to defend the championship."






Spanish Grand Prix general director Luis Garcia Abad insists there is “no doubt” this year’s race at the new Madring circuit in Madrid will go ahead, rejecting rumours Formula 1 could replace the event on the calendar because of construction delays or FIA homologation concerns. Garcia Abad said: "It is not possible in terms of the contract. Rumours are rumours; every day, everywhere in the F1 paddock. But it's not the case... No doubts about that. The FIA, FOM, and ourselves, we don't have any problem in terms of delivering the event properly."

Audi driver Nico Hulkenberg says critics of Formula 1’s 2026 regulations should stop watching if they do not enjoy the racing, adding that the sport has always had to move with the times as technology changes. Hulkenberg said: "To be honest, it's always been like that in F1, hasn't it? F1 is about leading in technology, and you have to go with the times. I think when you look at the racing now, the first three races we've had [in 2026], it's been entertaining. It's been good to watch with plenty of on-track action. And I mean, if you don't like it, you don't have to watch."


Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff says George Russell will “return” as a serious threat from the Canadian Grand Prix and be ready to “make life difficult” for his rivals after a challenging weekend in Miami. Wolff said: "Russell hasn't done as well, in some cases due to team problems, or bad luck, and in Miami due to his own mistakes. That said, we know George's value, and we know he'll return, starting from Canada, very competitive and ready to make life difficult for his opponents."

Fernando Alonso says he expects to decide on his Formula 1 future after the summer break, with the Aston Martin driver in the final year of his contract. Alonso said: "I'm open to everything. Until probably after the summer break I will not really sit down with the team and make the decision. We need to see also how the car improves and how we see things into next year."

Formula E chief executive Jeff Dodds says he would like Max Verstappen to privately test the series’ new Gen4 car so he can give his feedback, after the four-time world champion described Formula 1’s latest machinery in pre-season testing in Bahrain as “Formula E on steroids”. Dodds said: "If Max were to jump in this car, he would have never driven anything like this. Max wouldn't have driven anything that can accelerate 30 per cent faster than his Formula 1 car, not that I'm aware of anyway, with permanent all-wheel drive. It would be pretty exciting for us, privately, to hear his feedback in driving something like that, to see what the sensation is for someone who is a generational talent."

Carlos Sainz says Alpine is still “clearly” ahead of Williams despite the team’s improved Miami Grand Prix, after revealing its upgrade package was meant to be on the car for the opening race in Australia but only arrived in Florida. Sainz said: "We finally put the upgrade on the car that was supposed to come to race one, because of all the delays we had at the beginning of the season. Now it's on the car, it's performing at least at the level of the midfield cars. Clearly, this weekend, we were I think sixth fastest, but then Alpine is 20 seconds in front of us. So we need to put our heads down and, from here, make this the new baseline and start improving."
Alpine has issued a brief response to PlanetF1.com amid rumours that Gucci could replace BWT as its title sponsor for the 2027 F1 season. The team said it is “constantly looking for new partnership opportunities” and is in contact with a wide range of potential partners, but added that discussions are kept confidential and only disclosed once “confirmed and agreed by all parties”.


McLaren CEO Zak Brown says Formula 1’s next big challenge in the United States is to grow its TV audience, with viewership still “relatively small” compared with major American sports despite having three grands prix in the country. Brown said: "I think it's going to be TV ratings. I think TV ratings are still relatively small compared to the NFLs of the world. I think that's the biggest area of growth, getting the TV ratings up."



Lando Norris says Formula 1 drivers do not have much say over the sport’s rules because decisions have to balance the interests of manufacturers, partners and teams. Norris said: "What we want as drivers is also what will be better for the fans to see. It's a business at the end of the day, so you have to balance the business side, which is obviously where we don't have a lot of say."

Lewis Hamilton says Ferrari need to examine a front-wing concept he believes Mercedes, McLaren and Red Bull are using to make gains, after Ferrari’s upgrade package underwhelmed at the Miami Grand Prix. Hamilton said: "The others have also taken a step. I heard McLaren brought a step and it was worth much more than they had anticipated. That's not how we have experienced ours. They - Mercedes, McLaren, and Red Bull - are doing something different with their front wing [compared] to us. So we need to look into that to see whether or not there's something we can improve on."

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